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British Academy Early Career Network on Critical University Studies

19.01.18

For ECRs (PhD less than ten years ago) working on any area of University Studies

This project is inspired in part by the recent call to action (Helen Small, Stefan Collini) for bolder intellectual leadership around the questions 'what do Universities really do?' and 'What are they for?'.

The network has the simple, admittedly ambitious, aim of developing strategies for early career scholars to advance the field of University studies, particularly in relation to thought-leadership and new scholarly methods. Predicated on the notions that a) scholars have important things to say about the future of universities and b) that such conversation will be best informed, and effective, in consort with administrators and policy leaders the programme comprises:

- 20 committed early career academics and others working in related fields, with expertise on some aspect of Universities, from across the UK

- input from Simon Goldhill, Chris Newfield and Helen Small; the research councils; senior HE administration and leadership (more details are in the attached).

The first workshop will be held on Tuesday January 23rd, 10am-4.30pm in Cambridge; the second meeting on February 26th, 10am-4.30pm at the British Academy in London; and the final workshop during the last week of April (date tbc).

The network can cover the costs of travel to Cambridge and London and overnight accommodation for each meeting if desired

To apply - please send a short CV (2-3 pages), and a paragraph outlining your interest in joining the network, to Dr Alison Wood ajew3@cam.ac.uk by 19 January 2018.

This initiative aims to build British capacity in the emerging field of Critical University Studies

(CUS). Drawing on disciplines across the Arts and Humanities CUS is both scholarly and political,

setting out to better understand how Universities can serve the public good and to enact changes

that will enable that service. Arguably, expertise in this field is needed more than ever during a